Railway and draw-bridge signal



(No Model.)

'I'. E. HILL.

-RAILWAY AND DRAW BRIDGE SIGNAL.

No. 470,875. Patented Mar. 15, 1892.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS E. HILL, OF'RAHVAY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO W'ILLIAM T. BOTHWELL, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

RAILWAY AND DRAW-BRIDGE SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 470,875, dated March 15, 1892.

Application filed July 8, 1891. Serial No. 398,795. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern..-

Beit known that I, THOMAS ENeLIsH HILL, acitizen of the United States, residing at Rahway, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanism for Operating Railway-Signals and Connections for Draw- Bridges; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to devices for operating semaphore and other signals on railways, and in connection therewith to operate a signal or signals in the tower-house of a draw-bridge and to also lock and unlock the draw.

The invention is designed more particularly to serve in connection with a locomotive equipped with such devices, as shown in my application for Letters Patent iiled November 1, 1890, Serial No. 370,018, and renewed February 8, 1892, Serial No. 420,679.

The invention will be fully understood from the following description and claims when taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which- Figure l is a side View of a portion of a draw-bridge, showing my improvements applied. Fig. 2 is a view of a semaphore-signal with parts of the frame broken away and my improvements applied. Fig. 3 is an edge view of the breakable signal-board.

Referring by letter to said drawings, A indicates the draw of any ordinary draw-bridge, and B indicates the tower-house thereon.

O indicates an upright frame rising from the tower-house and within which are arranged the signals D, which may be of the character usually employed. Journaled on this frame C are pulleys c, over which a cable E passes, and to one end of which is secured in a suspended manner a shade F for the light or signal D. This cable E passes down from the shade of the signal in the tower-house of the draw and is guided by a pulley b and has secured to its opposite end a latch G. This latch G, which has a shoulder c to engage with a horizontal catch d, is also provided with a hook e, for a purpose which will be presently explained.

II indicates a slide-bolt for locking and unlocking the draw, and it is designed that one of these bolts should be placed at each end of the draw, although I have shown but one in the present illustration. This slide-bolt, which enters a keeper f at the entrance part of the bridge, has pivotally connected to one end a lever g, which is in turn pivotally connected to the latch G, as shown at h. This lever g is preferably provided with an elongated slot about midway of its length and is journaled at said slot by means of a pin or bolt t' upon a bearing I, havingits rest on the draw of the bridge.

From the construction described and illustrated it will be seen that when the latch G has been drawn and placed over the catch d the slide-bolt H will be drawn from its keeper through the medium of the pivoted lever g, and the shade F will be simultaneously lifted from the light or signal in the tower-house through the medium of the cable E, when the draw will be in a position to be swung open and closed.

K indicates a frame for the semaphoresignal. This frame is designedto be placed over a railway at a suitable point from the draw-bridge, and the signals are connected with the draw, as will be presently explained.

L indicates a signal-board, which is preferably composed of an upper section k, of red glass or other transparent material, and a lower corrugated white section I', which are held togethenwith a breakable transverse line i" between them. This signal board or glass is guided vertically in an upright frame M, which bears a vertically-disposed guide-pulley m, over which the cable N passes and one end of which is secured to the signal-board, as shown. This signal-board is preferably provided with stop-shoulders fn, so as to limit its downward movement, and a lamp or other suitable light-giving medium is designed to be placed in the frame, so that the red glass or white glass may be brought to View in danger or safety, as the case maybe. The cable N, which is attached at one end to the signal-board, passes over a guide-pulley p on IOO an upright post P, and thence is guided near the lower end of the post by another pulley q, after which the cable is carried along the road and passes over a drum Q, so as to leave the opposite end, which is provided with an eye or ring 0', free to be placed over the hook c and disconnectedtherefrom. The drum Q is journaled in a suitable frame at a point adjacent to the entrance of the bridge and is provided with a vert-ical cog-wheel s,which meshes with a pinion t, carried by the shaft of a handwheel S.

R indicates a pawl, which is pivoted on the upper portion of the frame T and is designed to engage the teeth of the ratchet t', fixed to the hand-wheel.

U indicates an arm, which is of an angular form and is pivoted at the angle to the post P, as shown, so as to have the long branch of the angle, as shown in dotted lines, extend out into the path of the engine when the signal-board L has been let down through the medium of the cable N, which is connected with the short branch u, as shown. This short branch u is arranged at an oblique angle to the longer branch and is preferably provided witha plurality of holes or other means whereby said cable may be adj ustably secured thereto. It will be observed that when the cable N has been slackened, as will be presently described, and the signal-board of the semaphore let down the long branch of the arm U will be placed in the position shown in dotted lines, so that it may contact with the pivoted arm on the cab, which will in turn shatter the glass caps on the pipes carried by the locomotive, so as to apply the brakes, as set forth in the application above referred to.

V indicates a vertical frame, which is of a form substantially the same as the frame M, carrying a guide-pulley 'u at its upper end, over which a wire or rope w passes and is secured at one end to the cable N. This rope w has secured at one end a board W, which is arranged in a plane to strike the pivoted arm, and consequently the glass caps on the air-pipes of the locomotive, and is designed to be moved vertically in and out of position within the` frame V by means of a cable N, through the medium of the` winding-drum near the draw-bridge.

lVhile l have shown and described an arm U and also a board XV in the saine View, yet it is obvious that both need not be used at the same timeas either one will elfectually serve in conjunction with the arm on the cab to shatter the glass tubes or caps, as beforementioned.

In operation it will be seen that when it is desirable to open the draw and it becomes necessary to display the danger-signals in the tower-house and also the signals on the road the ring o1 of the cable N is first placed over the hook c. The hand-wheel is then turned so as to draw on the cable E and slacken the cable N until the latch G has been placed over the catch d. VIn this position the slide-b0lt Il will be withdrawn from its keeper and the shade F raised to expose the danger-signal, when the bridge is ready to be opened. At the time of the movements described the signal-board L is set for danger and the board XV or the arm U, as the case may be,let down, so that they may contact with the pivoted arm, and consequently the glass tubes carried by the air-pipes of the engine. The signal-board L is designed to come in such position that it may be struck in case of danger by the smoke-stack of thc engine,when the safety portion I will be broken off at the line t', so as to leave remaining the danger portion of the signal only. Vhen the draw has been closed and it is desired to set the safety-signals in position, the ring is again placed over the hook and the latch released from the catch d, when the hand-wheel is reversed, so that the shade F will cover the signal D, the bolt II pushed into its keeper by the lever g, and the signalboard and contact devices` raised up by the drawing of the cable N.

Having described` my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

l. A bridge-draw having a signal in its tower, in combination.. with a cable leading from said signal, a lock for the draw secured to the opposite end of said cable, a signal on the railway, a cable connecting said signal with a drum, and means for removably securing the opposite end of said cable with the end of the bridge-cable connected with `the lock of the draw, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with a signal adapted ,to be placed on a railway, a signal adapted to be placed in the draw of a bridge, a latch lfor said draw, and cables connecting the respective devices, of a drum on which one of l the cables is wound for simultaneously changi ing said signals and operating the lock of the draw, substantially as specified.

3., The combination, with` the draw of a Qbridge, of a signal arranged in the tower thereof, a cable connected with said signal, a

\ latch connected with the opposite end of the l cable, a catch for engaging said latch, a slidebolt, and a lever connecting the slide-bolt with the catch, whereby when the lock of the draw has been taken olf the dangersignal will be exposed, substantially as specified.

et. The combination, with a draw-bridge carrying a signal, a cable leading therefrom, and a semaphore-signal, of a cable leading therefrom, a drum receiving said latter cable, so as to leave one end exposed, a ratchetwheel engaging with agear on the drum and fixed to a hand-wheel,.and a pawl for engaging said ratchet-wheel, and means whereby both ends of the cable may be connected with signals, substantially as specified.

5. The combination, with a frame adapted IOO IIO

to support a semaphore-signal, of a breakable signal-board vertically movable therein and arranged in the path of a smoke-stack of an engine, a vertically-movable board also 4arranged. in the path of the engine, and a cable connecting both boards with a drum for raising and lowering the same, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS E. HILL.

Witnesses:

K. F. MATTHEWS, J. J. SHEEHY., 

